Mobile checkout systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A mobile checkout system and method for completing a purchase transaction to purchase items from an internet merchant. A user browses and selects items for purchase from the merchant through a shopping application or browser. During the processing of the transaction, a checkout application installed on a mobile communication device is launched. The checkout application receives a checkout token created by a checkout server that identifies the purchase transaction. The checkout application uses this token and communicates with the checkout server to cause the checkout server to complete the purchase transaction. When the transaction is complete, the shopping application or browser is relaunched and a results page is displayed.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of and claims thebenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/781,964 filed on Mar. 1,2013, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a system and a method for implementinga mobile wallet application and checkout processes.

BACKGROUND

Transmission of magnetic stripe data has been done primarily by swipinga magnetic stripe card against a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) to enablepayment, identification (ID), and access control functions. Mobilewallet applications on smartphones and tablets have had difficultyinteracting with existing merchant point of sale (POS) devices or otherdevices with MSRs. Contactless reader enabled POS terminals (typicallyusing, for example, an ISO 14443 standard) are not ubiquitous to acceptcontactless or near field communications (NFC) payments. It would beexpensive and would take time to replace the millions of merchant POSdevices or door locks that only accept magnetic stripe cards, just tointeract with NFC phones or other transmission means like barcodes.

In many countries, the number of contactless payment cards issued isstill small compared to the number of magnetic stripe cards issued toconsumers. NFC chips with contactless communication capabilities havebeen embedded in some mobile phones, and are used by companies, such asGoogle and ISIS, as digital wallets for storing secure cardholderinformation. These NFC chip based digital wallets can be used incontactless payment transactions with a limited number of NFC capablePOS devices, but these NFC chip based digital wallets have significantlimitations.

Most phones do not have an embedded NFC chip, severely limitingpenetration of this mobile wallet solution to the masses. Furthermore,the process for loading a cardholder's payment credential into the NFCchip's memory is complex and expensive. In particular, loading the NFCchip's memory requires a trusted security manager (TSM). Payment cardissuers have to sign up for such a TSM service and to pay for suchservices.

There are various technical complexities to make the loading processwork smoothly, especially when some part of the loading process fails inthe middle of a chain of transmissions from the issuer to the TSM to theInternet, via mobile operators' networks to the phone, to the chip.Furthermore, not all standards have been worked out, and there aremultiple competing parties making it more difficult to becomeubiquitous.

In eCommerce, there are generally two common methods for carrying out anonline shopping checkout process. In the first method, the customerselects a payment button, chooses a payment method, and completes thepayment process within the merchant online shopping website. Themerchant server communicates with the server of the payment serviceprovider to execute the payment transaction. This method allows thecustomer to stay on the same merchant site; however, the development andintegration process between the merchant server and payment serviceprovider is complicated and costly. Also, the customer may be reluctantto enter sensitive information on an unfamiliar webpage or website.

In the second method, the customer's browser is temporarily redirectedto a checkout webpage hosted by the payment service provider, such asthe PayPal™ checkout process. The customer completes the transaction inthe webpage hosted by the payment service provider. After thetransaction, the browser is redirected back to the original onlineshopping website. This method is easier to develop and integrate for themerchant. For the customer, recognition of the payment service providerprovides a better sense of security and trust. It can also make theprocess smoother when the customer has gone through similar paymentprocesses previously.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methodsincluding a magnetic stripe capture, storage and transmission device foruse in conjunction with a mobile wallet application to capture, storeand transmit magnetic stripe card data to merchants' conventional pointof sale (POS) terminals and other devices with magnetic stripe readers(MSRs) or checkout systems, in physical and virtual environments. Thedisclosure also relates to mobile checkout systems and methods. Thesystem provides a convenient buying experience for consumers, a secureand informative transaction for merchants, and in some cases additionaldata to be transmitted to a MSR for the purpose of loyalty,identification (ID), or access control.

In one aspect, a system for securely capturing, storing and transmittingmagnetic stripe payment card data includes a mobile communication deviceand mobile application, and a magnetic stripe transporter (MST) dongle.The MST dongle or MST includes a microprocessor, magnetic fieldtransmitter which includes a driver and an inductor that can generatevarying magnetic fields, a battery, a charging circuit, a magneticstripe reader (MSR), a memory means or secure element, an audio jackinterface, and a communication interface (for example, a USB interface,a 30pin or 9pin Apple interface, a Bluetooth interface, etc.) working inconjunction with a consumer mobile device and wallet application forcapturing magnetic stripe card data, storing the data securely, andtransmitting such data to merchants' point of sale (POS) or checkoutsystems, in the physical and virtual environments.

Aspects of the disclosure may include one or more features. The mobilecommunication device may include a mobile application that initializesthe MST for use with a specific wallet account and unlocks the MST fortransmission and use. The mobile communication device may be used with apayment checkout application on the mobile communication device or theInternet that interacts with the MST to accept payment card data fromthe MST and transmit the payment card data to a payment server forprocessing a transaction either as a merchant POS application or aconsumer checkout application. The mobile wallet application mayinteract with the MST via the audio jack or other communicationinterface, in various modes of operation including, for example, anInitialize and Reset Mode, a Load Card Delete Card Mode, a Transmit andUse Mode, a Disconnected Transmit Mode, and a POS Card Read Mode.

In one aspect, the MST operated in the Initialize and Reset Mode isconfigured to allow a user to pair and unpair/reset a specific MST witha mobile wallet account and only allow one device per account. The MSToperated in the Load Card Delete Card Mode is configured to allow a userto load magnetic stripe card data by swiping the user's existing plasticmagnetic stripe card on the MSR on board the MST and store the cardtrack data in a memory means or secure element. For payment cards, theapplication loads the primary account number (PAN) data of the card toan online digital wallet via the mobile wallet application. Cardinformation can also be deleted from the memory means and the serverusing the application. The MST operated in the Transmit and Use Mode isconfigured to allow a user to select a specific payment card as a top ofwallet or default card for use in transmission of the stored track datato the merchant POS system when a button is activated or pressed. Inanother aspect, if non-payment cards are stored in the MST, onenon-payment card can be stored as the default card to transmit withoutauthenticating to the wallet application and selecting such a card.Non-payment cards include hotel keys, door passes, or ID and Loyaltycards that can be loaded to the MST in a separate memory means fortransmission later.

The MST operated in the POS Card read Mode is configured to allow a userto swipe a payment card with the MST's MSR and transmit the card data toa POS application on the mobile communication device then to the paymentserver and processor. The mobile communication device may be asmartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer. The MST further includes abattery and a charging circuit. The microprocessor is configured toprovide security and communications with the mobile communicationdevice. The memory means stores payment card data securely. The MST isconfigured to transmit card track data to a merchant checkoutapplication on the mobile communication device to create a card-presenttransaction for the merchant. The MST may also be configured to readpayment cards and to transmit payment card data to the mobilecommunication device and associated POS application that in turn thentransmits the transaction and card data to the payment servers andprocessors like a POS.

In another aspect, the disclosure features a method for securelycapturing, storing and transmitting magnetic stripe card data. Amagnetic stripe transporter (MST) dongle includes a microprocessor, adriver configured to send current and signal to an inductor that createsvarying magnetic fields, a battery, a charging circuit, a magneticstripe card reader, a memory means or secure element, an audio jackinterface, and a communication interface (for example, a USB interface,a 30pin or 9pin Apple interface, and a Bluetooth interface, etc.)working in conjunction with a consumer mobile communication device and awallet application or mobile application for capturing magnetic stripecard data, storing the card data securely, and transmitting such data tomerchants' point of sale (POS) terminals, checkout systems, or other MSRdevices, in a physical and virtual environment.

The systems and methods disclosed herein provide a number of advantages,for example, the magnetic card track data can be captured and stored inthe MST's secure memory means directly by the user or from the serverwithout modification of the magnetic stripe data, to be used later witha MSR device. For payment cards, no change to the magnetic stripe datais needed as opposed to contactless or NFC track data that has specialfields that must be encoded by the card issuers in order to functionproperly with a contactless POS. The MST may include a button thatallows transmission of the magnetic card data to a POS while the MST isdisconnected or detached from the mobile device.

In an aspect, the unique paring of a MST to a specific wallet accountcan provide better security, and the ability to reset a MST allowsun-pairing and reuse of a MST. Further, the system and method accordingto the disclosure provides the ability to connect to mobilecommunication devices via different interfaces beyond audio jack andUSB. Also, the process of loading encrypted magnetic stripe track datainto memory means of the MST may later be decrypted and transmitted tothe MSR of the POS, or for the data to be transmitted encrypted to themobile communication device and then routed to the payment server fordecryption and processing for loading a wallet account on the server orprocessing a POS transaction.

The system and method according to the disclosure provides the abilityto use the stored track data or swiped track data for virtual checkoutenvironments for a more secure and lower cost transaction for merchants,and the remote loading of track data from a card issuer to the walletserver provider to the wallet application on the mobile communicationdevice, to the SE or memory means of the MST to be used later. Stillfurther, the system and method provides the ability to load loyaltyaccount information along with the payment card data into discretionaryfields of the track data to be read by the issuer upon a transaction,which can lead to offers and loyalty programs combined with a paymenttransaction.

The combined use of all of the above technologies in a seamless userexperience for consumers may increase the frequency of use of mobilewallets and allow a host of applications and functionalities, such as,offers and loyalty with consumers that make it more compelling anddeliver value to the consumers and the merchants.

In another aspect, the magnetic stripe card data may be transmitted tothe mobile communication device's checkout application and used in amobile checkout system. Mobile checkout systems and methods aredisclosed that aid in reducing drop-out rates of shopping carts andincreasing conversion rates into sales. However, it should beappreciated that the mobile checkout systems and methods disclosedherein may be implemented with or without the MST.

In general, the mobile checkout systems and methods include a mobilecommunication device having a merchant application and/or browserapplication installed on the mobile communication device that allows auser to select items to purchase from a merchant website. A checkoutapplication is also installed on the mobile communication device thatcommunicates with a checkout server hosting one or more web servicecheckout application program interfaces (APIs). The checkout applicationmay be launched in response to receiving information corresponding to apurchase transaction, such as when a user selects items to purchase andselects checkout. The checkout application communicates with thecheckout server to cause the checkout server to complete the purchasetransaction, by communicating with a payment processor. When thetransaction is complete the merchant application or browser applicationthat was used to browse and select the items for purchase is relaunched.

In other aspects, the checkout application may be launched in responseto receiving the information corresponding to the purchase transactionfrom the checkout server through a push notification, email, or shortmessage service. The checkout application may also be launched inresponse to receiving the information corresponding to the purchasetransaction from a quick response (QR) code displayed on the mobilecommunication device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of devices, systems, and methods are illustrated in thefigures of the accompanying drawings which are meant to be exemplary andnot limiting, in which like references are intended to refer to like orcorresponding parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an overview of a magnetic stripetransporter (MST) and a mobile communication device and merchant pointof sale (POS) device;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method of operation in an Initializationand Reset Mode;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of operation in a Load Card DeleteCard Mode;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method of operation in a Transmit and UseMode;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of operation in a DisconnectedTransmit Mode;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method of operation in a POS Card ReadMode;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an overview of a system forperforming a mobile checkout process;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of components of a mobilecommunication device;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method of performing a mobile checkoutprocess using an online shopping website and a mobile shoppingapplication;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method of is a flow diagram of a methodof performing a mobile checkout process using an online shopping websiteand a browser application; and

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method of is a flow diagram of a methodof performing a mobile checkout process by launching a checkoutapplication using a push notification, short message service (SMS), orquick response (QR) code.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of devices, systems, and methods are disclosedherein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the devices, systems, and methods, which may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as abasis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching oneskilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.

Generally, the devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein caninclude, and may be implemented, within a number of different devicesand computer systems, including, for example, general-purpose computingsystems, server-client computing systems, consumer-merchant computingsystems, mainframe computing systems, a cloud computing infrastructure,telephone computing systems, laptop computers, desktop computers, smartphones, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tabletcomputers, and other mobile devices. The devices and computing systemsmay have one or more databases and other storage apparatuses, servers,and additional components, for example, processors, modems, terminalsand displays, computer-readable media, algorithms, modules andapplications, and other computer-related components. The devices andcomputer systems and/or computing infrastructures are configured,programmed, and adapted to perform the functions and processes of thesystems and methods as disclosed herein.

An overview of a system 10 for capturing, storing and transmittingmagnetic stripe card data to a merchant's conventional point of sale(POS) according to an illustrative embodiment is described withreference to FIG. 1. The system 10 includes a magnetic stripetransporter (MST) 100 adapted to interface with a mobile communicationdevice 200. The MST 100 and the mobile communication device 200 maycommunicate through respective audio jacks 102 and 202, and/or throughrespective communication interfaces, for example, USB ports 104 and 204,respectively, or through other communication interfaces, including butnot limited to, a 30pin or 9pin Apple interface, a Bluetooth interface,and other serial interfaces. The MST 100 also interacts with a merchantPOS 300 by being adapted to transmit magnetic stripe data from amagnetic field transmitter 150 that includes a driver and an inductor,to a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) 302 of the merchant POS 300.

The mobile communication device 200 includes a mobile wallet application220 and a POS application or payment checkout application 230. Themobile wallet application 220 initializes and unlocks the MST 100. ThePOS or checkout application 230 interacts with the MST 100 and acceptscard payment data from the MST 100. The POS or checkout application 230may cause the card payment data to be transmitted to a wallet server 260via a network 170. The card payment data may then be transmitted fromthe wallet server 260 to a transaction processor 270.

The MST 100 includes a microprocessor 112, a light-emitting diode (LED)indicator 114, a battery 116, a charging circuit 118, a magnetic stripereader (MSR) 106, a memory storage component or secure element 108, anaudio jack interface 102 (for example, a 3.5 mm or other standard audioport), a USB port/jack interface 104 or other communication interface,including but not limited to a 30pin or 9pin Apple interface, aBluetooth interface, and other serial interfaces, and a magnetic fieldtransmitter 150 which includes a driver and an inductor for transmittingmagnetic pulses to be received by any POS device with a MSR.

Microprocessor 112 handles security and communications with the mobilecommunication device 200. The microprocessor 112 can also transmit andreceive encrypted card data to and from the secure element 108. Themagnetic field transmitter 150 transmits magnetic stripe data of acardholder to the POS device 300 by transmitting magnetic impulses tothe MSR 302. The MST 100 may also be used for reading other magneticstripe cards by using the MSR 106 as a POS device. The MSR 106 may beused for loading payment card data onto the secure element 108 and forcapturing card track data for the POS or checkout application 230 on themobile communication device 200.

The mobile communication device 200 includes the mobile walletapplication 220, the POS or payment checkout application 230, the audiojack port 202 and/or communication interface, for example, the USB port204 or other communication interface, including but not limited to a30pin or 9pin Apple interface, a Bluetooth interface, and other serialinterfaces. The mobile communication device 200 may also include adisplay with key pad or touchpad display 240 and a central processingunit (CPU) 250.

Each MST 100 is initially open to be paired with a wallet account. Oncethe MST 100 is paired, the MST 100 may be locked and have to be unlockedto change modes and parameters on the MST 100. The MST 100 can storecardholder data by either an initial load at manufacturing, loading viaa wireless communication network after setting up the wallet account,and/or by the consumer loading his/her own card(s) data directly intothe MST 100 using a mobile wallet application. In general, a wallet useris a person that has setup a digital wallet account, for example, on aremote server via a cloud computing infrastructure, and has initializeda mobile wallet application on his/her mobile communication device.

The mobile wallet application 220 on the mobile communication device 200interacts with the MST 100 in order to provide different modes ofoperation, for example including: an Initialize and Reset Mode, a LoadCard Delete Card Mode, a Transmit and Use Mode, a Disconnected TransmitMode, a POS Card Read Mode, and optionally other modes.

A method of operation in the Initialization and Reset Mode according toan illustrative embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 2. An MSTis initialized for the first time to a wallet account by plugging in orconnecting a “new” MST, or MST that has not been used before or has been“reset” and has no associated wallets and no card data in storage, tothe mobile communication device, illustrated as block 400. Uponconnecting the MST to the mobile communication device, the walletapplication recognizes or determines the status of the MST as paired andunpaired, illustrated as block 402.

When the MST dongle has already been paired to another wallet account,the wallet application will recognize the MST as unpaired but paired toanother wallet account, illustrated as block 404, and display “DongleCannot be Used, Paired with Another Account,” illustrated as block 406.The wallet application may also report unauthorized pairings to theserver, illustrated as block 408, for fraud management to prevent walletusers from using the MST inappropriately.

When the MST dongle has been paired to the appropriate wallet account,the wallet application recognizes the MST as paired, illustrated asblock 410. The MST can be used or reset, illustrated as block 412. Ifthe appropriate wallet account user desires to reset the MST and wipeclean all data in the SE, the user can access a settings section of thewallet application and select “Reset Dongle”, illustrated as block 414.If the appropriate wallet account user desired not to reset the MST, theMST can be used and the process is complete, illustrated as block 416.In one aspect, any user may be allowed to reset the MST dongle from theuser's respective authenticated wallet application. Once a unit has beenreset, it will need to be Initialized or paired again with a walletaccount, even if the same user reset the device, it would be like aclean device with new cards to be loaded.

When the MST dongle has not been paired and there is no wallet accountpaired to the MST, upon connecting the MST to the mobile communicationdevice, for example, a smartphone with the wallet application thereon,the wallet application recognizes the MST as unpaired, illustrated asblock 418. The wallet application may then face a determination as towhether the MST should be paired to the wallet account, illustrated asblock 420. If the appropriate wallet account user does not wish to pairthe MST, the process is completed, illustrated as block 416.

Alternatively, if the appropriate wallet account user desires to pairthe MST, a pairing process begins. The pairing process may includecapturing a serial number of the MST, illustrated as block 422,authenticating the wallet user one more time, illustrated as block 424,and correlating the MST to the wallet account, illustrated as block 426.The pairing process may also include storing the pairing information,for example, the serial number of the MST in the wallet account,illustrated as block 428, for future authentication matching each timethe MST dongle is used with the wallet application to turn the MST on.In this regard, the MST can only be unlocked and used with theappropriate wallet account in the future.

A method of operation in the Load Card Delete Card Mode according to anillustrative embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 3. The MSTis connected to the mobile communication device, illustrated as block430, and the MST is recognized as paired, illustrated as block 432. Oncethe MST has been “paired” with the wallet account, the wallet user canuse the wallet application to load his/her cards by swiping the cards onthe built in magnetic stripe reader (MSR) of the MST, illustrated asblock 434. The resulting data is digitized and encrypted, illustrated asblock 436, and stored into the memory means or SE in the MST for uselater, illustrated as block 438.

The encrypted data may also be transmitted to the mobile communicationdevice, illustrated as block 440. The mobile wallet application maytransmit the data to the wallet server, illustrated as block 442. Thedata may be decrypted at the wallet server and the primary accountnumber (PAN) data, card number, expiration and name of the cardholder isstripped from the track data, illustrated as block 444.

The mobile wallet application or the wallet server may also make adetermination as to whether the magnetic card is a payment card or anon-payment card, illustrated as block 445. If the magnetic card is anon-payment card the system can automatically store the track data inthe memory for non-payment transmission, and allow the user to name thecard and store the non-payment card in the memory means, for example onthe MST, illustrated as block 447.

If the magnetic card is a payment card, for example, having a specificformat recognizable to the system, the card may be detected as a paymentcard and the system determines if the name on the payment card matchesthe name of the wallet account, illustrated as block 449. If the namedoes not match, an error message may display “Name on card does notmatch account,” illustrated as block 451. If the name on the paymentcard matches the name of the wallet account, the system may determine ifthe PAN number matches an existing card already stored on the server, toeither create a new account or leave the existing one. If a new card iscreated, the system may store the track data in a payment section ofMST's secure memory encrypted as described below.

A determination may also made as to whether the stripped data matcheswith any previously stored cards stored in the wallet account,illustrated as block 446. When no match is found, then a new card iscreated in the wallet user's account on the server, illustrated as block448. When a new card is creates, the system may also store the trackdata in a payment section of MST's secure memory in an encrypted state,such as shown in block 438. When a match is found, the card isidentified as existing and the card is loaded, illustrated as block 450.

In an aspect, the MST has the ability to load any type of magneticstripe card into the memory means, not just payment cards. Non-paymentcards may be stored separately with less security for convenience. Forexample, some non-payment applications may include, cards to open doors,loyalty cards, etc. The loading of payment data vs. non-payment data maybe separated into two separate fields or storage areas. In an example,payment cards may not be loaded into non-payment storage. For example,payment data may have a specific format that can be detected and may notbe allowed to be loaded into the non-payment storage area. The paymentcards may also require authentication with the application before beingtransmitted. On the other hand, default non-payment data may betransmitted without authentication.

In an aspect, another process of loading the MST is to dynamically sendthe magnetic stripe data from the server through the mobile device andapplication to the MST. This methodology enables magnetic stripe data tobe transmitted from the server to the MST after authentication of thewallet user is performed so that dynamic magnetic stripe data can betransmitted to the mobile device and stored and/or transmitted. In anaspect, track data generated by the server can be dynamically loaded forpayment purposes, such that a one-time use payment credential can begenerated for the wallet user dynamically at the time of payment.

In another aspect, a hotel or casino room key can be to be transmittedto the user's wallet application or digital wallet and then to the MSTso that the user would not have to physically check in and wait in line.The wallet user can “check in” to the hotel via an application on theuser's mobile device (optionally, the mobile device location can bematched with the address of the reservation to ensure further security),then reservation server sends to the wallet server a “key” which is thentransmitted to the wallet application or digital wallet and loaded onthe MST's memory means for non-payment purposes. The user can press atransmit key on the MST, and transmit the magnetic stripe data stored inthe MST for non-payment purposes without authenticating to the walletapplication. The “key” from the hotel or magnetic stripe data may expireon the server side after a period of time so this method is relativelysafe, it can be equated to forgetting to return your magnetic stripehotel key.

In these aspects, the system has the ability to remotely load an MSTfrom the server, allowing third parties, for example, card issuers todynamically send payment or non-payment card data to the MST fortransmission. A properly paired MST may have to be used in order to loadremotely. The system can control if the magnetic stripe data is storedas payment or non-payment card data, thus the system can be used indisconnected mode in different ways. Applications of this method caninclude sending dynamic payment card tokens from the server for one-timepayment use, and remote check-in for hotel rooms without going to thefront desk.

When a new “key” or magnetic stripe card data is loaded to the MST andstored in the default non-payment card container of the memory means,then it can be used in a “Disconnected Mode,” described in furtherdetail below. When a payment card is selected by the wallet application,the specific card may be enabled for a period of time, for example, 5minutes, and during this period of time, the non-payment default cardwould not be able to be transmitted by the MST. To distinguish betweenpayment and non-payment cards, payment cards may have a special formatand bank identification number (BIN) that is recognizable, when theapplication detects a payment card. The BIN may be checked against thename of the account and may be stored for the user if the name matches.

In some aspects, the track data is not stored on the server, only thePAN data is stored. Multiple cards can be loaded into the memory meansor SE for selection or use later and can be separated into payment andnon-payment cards. In an aspect, payment cards may only be transmittedafter authenticating to the wallet application and there may be a timelimit after selecting the card to transmit in disconnected mode, while anon-payment card can be selected as a default card transmitted indisconnected mode without authenticating to the wallet application forconvenience.

In one aspect, the name on the track data of a card swiped from aphysical payment card should match the name of the wallet account inorder for storing of a card to be successful for both the MST and theserver side, otherwise the application may not complete the load processfor that card and display an error message to the user “Error: Name oncard does not match account.” Once a track data is stored into the SE,the user can view the cards stored in the wallet application, and selecta top of wallet card as a default card for transmission for payment andnon-payment. There may also be cards stored in a cloud computingarchitecture via card-not-present methods that are not stored on the MSTfor card-present payments. However, every card stored to the MST shouldhave an equivalent copy of PAN data only in the cloud computinginfrastructure and those cards may have to be separately deleted fromthe cloud computing infrastructure via the application or Web/Internet.Resetting the MST does not wipe out card data in the cloud computinginfrastructure. Duplicated cards that have the same PAN data will notshow up as a different card, in order words, if a user already entered acard number in his/her wallet account in the cloud computinginfrastructure remotely, and later he/she swipes the same card to loadinto the MST for physical use, the card in the cloud computinginfrastructure would remain and not need to be replicated if the PANdata is the same.

Once cards are loaded on the MST, they can be selected by the walletapplication. Selected cards can also be deleted from the MST's memoryand from the application.

In yet other aspects, the wallet account may enable the loading ofencrypted track data onto the secure memory means or SE of the MSTdirectly from the wallet server such that an issuer can choose to createa card account for a wallet user and then load the SE as a top of walletcard with the track data via the wallet application communicated fromthe wallet server to the mobile communication device and to the MST.This is a type of remote loading of track data to a wallet user's MSTfor physical acceptance use. For example, the issuer of a card can be apayment card provider, such as, a credit card provider or bank, or anon-payment card provider, such as, an issuing a hotel card, a doorpass, or a loyalty card. The payment card can be a standard payment cardor it can be a one-time-use payment card such that the card number is atoken that references an actual payment card account on the issuer'sserver. This can provide more security even if the token becomescompromised or copied, because the number can only be used one time.

Once magnetic card track data is loaded onto the MST, the walletapplication may also be configured to capture an image of the frontand/or back of the card using a camera of the mobile device, and allowthe user to select the cards in his/her MST to be used for transmission.Cards selected in the application can also be deleted using the walletapplication, and erased from the memory means. The wallet applicationcan also be used to capture identification cards of the wallet users toshow merchants forms of identification with a touch of a button in thewallet application.

A method of operation in the Transmit & Use Mode according to anillustrative embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 4. Thetransaction with a POS begins in block 452. For POS face-to-facetransactions, the encrypted track data stored in the memory means or SEcan be decrypted by the MST, illustrated as block 454, and thentransmitted to the POS, illustrated as block 456. The POS may alsotransmit the data to the transaction processor, illustrated as block458.

For remote transactions, the encrypted track data can be transmitted tothe mobile communication device's checkout application, illustrated asblock 460. The checkout application may then transmit the data to thepayment server, illustrated as block 462. This data can only bedecrypted by the corresponding payment server upon checkout, illustratedas block 464, and is not useful otherwise to the mobile application oranyone intercepting such data during transmission over the wireless orwired Internet network or other communication network. The paymentserver may also transmit the decrypted data to the transactionprocessor, illustrated as block 466.

A method of operation in the Disconnected Transmit Mode according to anillustrative embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 5. A walletuser logs into his/her wallet application with the MST connected, forexample, via the audio jack or other communication interface,illustrated as block 468. Assuming a card or multiple cards are loadedsecurely into the SE/secure memory, if more than one card is loaded, theuser can change the default/top of wallet card to be used to transmit toa POS when the MST unit is turned on. In one aspect, a specific card maybe “Selected” first. The “Selected Card” on the MST can then betransmitted to the POS by pressing the “Transmit” button in the walletapplication with the MST dongle plugged in, or by pressing a transmitbutton on the MST itself, illustrated s block, 470, within a specifiedperiod of time before the MST no-longer will allow the transmission of apayment card. Upon the transmission attempting to complete, the LEDindicator may flash a light, for example a green light, for about 500 msor other amount of time as desired, illustrated as block 472. Fornon-payment cards stored in the MST, whenever the payment card is notoverriding the default card position, the default non-payment card isavailable to be transmitted by simply pressing the button on the MST andthe LED indicator indicates transmission taking place.

If the MST is authenticated by the wallet application enabled in thedefault Transmit Mode, and the MST is unplugged from the mobilecommunication device, illustrated as block 474, then the dongle wouldstay ON and remain unlocked for up to about 4 minutes or longer,illustrated as block 476. This allows the MST dongle to be transportedand used by a merchant or the user to complete the transmission of thecard data when the MST is in proximity of the POS by pressing the buttonon the MST during this period, illustrated as block 478, after which thedongle may shut down and have to be turned on and unlocked again by thewallet application. This feature is useful for many restaurants wherecards must be taken back to a POS system away from the dining table.This feature allows a waiter to simply take only the MST dongle and moveto the POS during the 4 minutes while the unit is on, without needing totake the consumer's mobile communication device along with the MSTdongle.

In an aspect, track data can be either stored in the memory means uponmanufacturing, loaded by the server remotely, loaded by the consumer byconverting his/her magnetic stripe track data into contactless trackdata if needed via the wallet application using a special procedure, orstored directly as is into the memory means or SE of the MST for uselater.

A method of operation in the POS Card Read Mode according to anillustrative embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 6. This modeallows the MST's magnetic stripe reader (MSR) to not only load cards,but also act as a POS by reading and encrypting any magnetic stripecards used with a POS application on the mobile device to acceptpayments like any merchant POS application. The user may swipe amagnetic card on the MSR of the MST, illustrated as block 480. The MSTreads and encrypts the data on the card, illustrated as block 482. Thedata may be transmitted to the POS application on the mobilecommunication device, illustrated as block 484, which can then transmitthe data to the payment server, illustrated as block 486. The paymentserve may also transmit data to the transaction processor for processingof the payment, illustrated as block 488.

The devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein provide for themagnetic card track data to be captured and stored in the MST's securememory means directly by the user without modification, and to be usedlater with a POS or other MSR device unlike contactless or NFC trackdata that has special fields that must be encoded by the card issuers inorder to work with a contactless POS. The MST includes a button thatallows transmission of the magnetic card data to a POS while the MST isdisconnected or detached from the mobile device, and an LED indicatoractivates when the MST is properly transmitting. The unique paring of aMST to a specific wallet account such that the MST can be only used withthat account for track data storage and transmission use provides bettersecurity, and the ability to reset a MST allows unpairing and reuse of aMST. The MST is capable of connecting to mobile communication devicesvia different interfaces beyond audio jack and USB connections.

The devices, systems, and methods allow for the loading of encryptedmagnetic stripe track data into the memory means of the MST that canlater be decrypted and transmitted to the POS, or can be transmittedencrypted to the mobile communication device and then routed to thepayment server for decryption and processing for loading a walletaccount on the server or processing a POS transaction. The devices,systems, and methods provide for the ability to use the stored trackdata or swiped track data for virtual checkout environments for a moresecure and lower cost transaction for merchants.

The devices, systems, and methods provide for the remote loading andtransmission of track data from a card issuer to the wallet serverprovider, to the wallet application on the mobile communication device,and to the SE or memory means of the MST for later use. The devices,systems, and methods also provide for the ability to load loyaltyaccount information along with the payment card data into one or morediscretionary fields of the track data to be read by the issuer duringor after a transaction, which can lead to offers and loyalty programscombined with a payment transaction.

As described above, magnetic stripe card data, for example stored onsecure element 108 of the MST 100 may be transmitted to the mobilecommunication device's checkout application and used in a mobilecheckout system. In an aspect, a mobile checkout system and method isdisclosed that aids in reducing drop-out rates of shopping carts andincreasing conversion rates into sales. However, it should beappreciated that the mobile checkout systems and methods disclosedherein may be implemented with or without the MST 100.

An overview of a system 20 for the mobile checkout process according toan illustrative embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 7. Thesystem 20 includes a mobile communication device 500, which may besimilar to or the same as the mobile communication device 200 describedabove, and a checkout server 600. As illustrated, the mobilecommunication device 500 and the checkout server 600 may communicatewith each other over the network(s) 170.

The checkout server 600 hosts one or more web service applicationprogram interfaces (APIs) 602 (also referred to as checkout APIs), and adatabase 604. The database 604 may store user and payment data. Thecheckout server 600, optionally, may also include a checkout webpage foronline checkout in a browser.

The mobile communication device 500 may include a mobile checkoutapplication 502, one or more shopping applications 504, and one or morebrowser applications 506. The mobile checkout application 502 may beactivated or launched from an online shopping webpage or from a mobileshopping application, and is designed to carry out payment transactions.The mobile checkout application 502 stores payment and personal data inhardware and/or peripheral devices of the mobile communication device500, such as the MST 100 or the wallet application described above;and/or in the remote checkout server 600 or cloud. The mobile checkoutapplication 502 retrieves or receives customer data and payment carddata from the hardware; peripheral devices, such as the MST 100; thewallet application described above; and/or the cloud during the checkoutprocess to reduce the amount of data entry, such as credit card number,expiration date, and billing address during the checkout process. Otherapplications may also be installed on the mobile communication device500, such as the shopping application 504 and the browser application506 that loads shopping websites.

There can be many versions of the checkout application 502 for differentmobile platforms including, but not limited to, Android™, iOS™ andWindows™ mobile phones and tablet devices.

The checkout application 502 allows a customer to complete a transactionoriginated either from a same mobile communication device 500, or fromanother computing device, such as a desktop or other computing device.The checkout application 502 may also be switched or redirected to orfrom another mobile application, such as the shopping application 504;switched to or from a webpage on a browser application 506 running onthe mobile communication device 500; launched by a push notificationsent by the checkout server 600; and/or launched by the user and used toscan a quick response (QR) code representation of the transaction. Eachof these modes of operation are described in further detail below.

The checkout application 502 may store the payment and personal data inthe mobile phone hardware or peripherals. The checkout application canalso store the information in the cloud or remote checkout server 600.The checkout application 502 retrieves the customer data and paymentcard data, such as a card number, expiration date and billing address,from hardware, peripherals or the cloud during the checkout process toreduce the amount of data entry during the checkout process.

The checkout application 502 running on the mobile communication device500 may access one or more hardware components of the mobilecommunication device 500. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, thecheckout application 502 may access hardware components, including, butnot limited to, a SIM card 508, secure element (SE) 510 and memorystorage 512, where data can be stored. The checkout application 502 mayalso access hardware components, including, but not limited to, a camera514, accelerometer 516, gyroscope 518, GPS receivers 520, electroniccompass 522, and biometric sensors 524 where the captured parameters canbe used for additional security measures.

The checkout application 502 may access peripheral components andaccessories via different communication interfaces 526, including, butnot limited to, a USB, Audio Jack, Bluetooth, SerialPort, WiFi and otherinterfaces. The peripheral components and accessories may include, butare not limited to, payment card readers 700, such as the MST 100, amagnetic stripe card reader, a smart card reader, a NFC card reader, anda EMV card reader; PIN pads 702; bar code scanners 704; printers 706;display units; cheque scanners; etc. for input and output of data.

The checkout application 502 may be launched independently by the userto manage his stored cards and personal information after a successfuluser authentication. When the checkout application 502 is used with aperipheral device, such as the MST 100, the checkout application 502 maytransmit an electromagnetic signal of the track data to emulate amagnetic swipe without the need to physically swipe a card. This allowsthe checkout application 502 to be used in brick and mortar retail shopsfor virtual card magnetic stripe transactions.

In an aspect, when the checkout application 502 is directed to orlaunched from another mobile application or from a webpage in a browser,after the payment transaction, the customer is redirected back to thecalling shopping browser webpage or to the calling mobile shoppingapplication indicated by a return uniform resource locator (URL). Inthis redirection mechanism, the checkout application 502 may register acustom URL scheme with the operating system. After registration, theoperating system may use a scheme part, for example, “capp://”, in a URLto associate the URL with the checkout application 502.

The operating system may then handle the custom URL scheme/protocol bylaunching the checkout application 502. For example, in iOS and Androidsystems, the custom URL may take the formcustomScheme://mydomain.com/myparameters. In Android, the registrationis performed by adding an intent-filter in the AndroidManifest.xml file.In iOS, the registration is performed by adding a “CFBundledURLTypes”setting to the plist.info file. With the above registration performed,the checkout application 502 may then be opened/launched/switched whenother applications or websites call this URL. Further, parameters can bepassed to the checkout application 502 through the myparameters portionof the custom URL. Through the use of the custom URL scheme redirectionmechanism, different shopping applications may redirect to the checkoutapplication 502 to carry out payment operations. Depending on thedifferent scenarios, the transaction results may be sent/redirected backto the calling application or caller through various methods.

When the checkout application 502 is launched by a push notificationmessage or a QR code scan, after the payment transaction, theoriginating shopping page on the computer or communication deviceupdates the transaction results.

Since the checkout application 502 is a native application on the mobilecommunication device 500, the checkout application 502 may accesshardware or peripheral components that are otherwise inaccessible from amobile browser. Further, since the checkout application 502 is acentralized application to be launched/switched from or redirected to orfrom other shopping websites or applications, each merchant no longerhas to integrate a hardware driver into their application. Instead, asimple redirect from their application or website in the form of a URLredirection suffices.

To use the checkout system, a user registers and sets up an account bysetting a username and password. During the account setup process,personal information of the user, for example, first name, last name,billing address, and shipping address is captured and stored in thecheckout server 600. For example, the user account information is storedinside the database 604. An optional identification verification stepmay be used to verify the validity of the identification of the user.Optionally, information relating to the mobile communication device 500may also be stored and bound to or associated with the user's account.

The checkout server 600 hosts one or more of the web services andexposes them as application program interfaces (APIs) 602 calledCheckout APIs for online/mobile merchants to develop their shoppingapplication(s). As described above, the database 604 is used to storethe personal information and the payment information of the registeredusers. The checkout server 600 also hosts a checkout webpage for a userto complete a transaction inside a browser when the user is performingonline shopping.

In one aspect, the shopping application creates a checkout token that isused to uniquely identify a payment transaction by calling an API methodhosted by the checkout server 600. Information about the transactionincluding product information, price and amount, and flow controlinformation such as redirection URLs are provided as input parameters.The URLs can be used to set the redirection or switching back to thecalling application or webpage. All the redirection and flow control canbe performed with this checkout token, which is used to track thepayment transaction. The merchant application or website can inquire thestatus of the payment transaction by calling an API method hosted by thecheckout server 600.

In an aspect, FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary operation flow of onlineticketing using an online shopping website and a mobile shoppingapplication. In this example, the user or customer 900 is browsing usinga shopping application 504 on the user's mobile communication device500. The customer 900 launches the shopping application 504, such as anopera ticket application. The customer 900 uses the shopping application504 to browse and add items to a shopping cart for checkout andpurchase. In this example, the shopping application 504 manages theshopping cart and communicates 902 with the merchant server 904 toobtain updated information of the products, such as, the opera showtitle, show time, and price. When the customer 900 decides to buy aproduct, the customer selects the product and proceeds to a checkoutstep 906. In the checkout step, the customer 900 selects 908 thecheckout button to purchase the product. The application 504 calls 910the checkout server 600, via the merchant server 904, and passes theinformation about the product, transaction amount, etc. The merchantserver receives 912 a checkout token 914 from the checkout server 600.

The application 504 receives 916 the checkout token 914 and redirects918 to the checkout application 502 with a custom URL and the checkouttoken as a parameter. In the checkout application 502, the customer 900authenticates 920 himself/herself with the checkout server 600. Onceauthenticated, the customer 900 confirms the transaction with thecheckout server 600, and the checkout application 502 calls 922 thecheckout server 600 or website API 602 to complete the transactionidentified by the checkout token. The checkout server 600 forwards 924the transaction to a payment processor 926. The payment processor 926returns 928 the transaction results to the checkout application 502, viathe checkout server 600, illustrated as 930.

After completion of the transaction, the checkout application 502redirects 932 back to the originating shopping application with thecheckout token and transaction results as parameters, which display aresult page 934. The application obtains or receives the transactionresults by one or more possible paths, including: (A) the shoppingapplication receives the transaction results from the redirection URLparameters; the shopping application updates 936 the transaction statuswith the merchant server where (B) the checkout server 600 pushes 938the results to the merchant server or (C) the merchant server pulls 940the latest transaction status or results from the checkout server 600through the APIs 602.

In an exemplary use case, a sports gear shopping application developedby Acme Corp. may redirect to the checkout application 502 for payment.Additional exemplary use cases may include: a grocery store BuyMoreapplication developed by BuyMore.com may implement its own loyaltyprogram in its own application while redirecting to the checkoutapplication 502 for payment; similarly, a pizza ordering application byContoso Restaurant may build a mobile application for delivery serviceand use the checkout application 502 for payment. In this way, theapplication developers (such as from different companies) can focus onthe product browser and shopping experience and leave the payment partto the checkout application 502.

In an aspect, FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary operation flow of onlineticketing using an online shopping website and a browser application. Inthis example, the user or customer 900 is browsing on an online shoppingmerchant website using a browser application 506 on the user's mobilecommunication device 500. The customer 900 launches the merchant'swebsite, such as an opera ticket website, using the browser application506. The customer 900 uses the browser application 506 to browse and additems to a shopping cart for checkout and purchase. In this example, themerchant website communicates 1002 with the merchant server 904 toobtain updated information of the products, such as, the opera showtitle, show time, and price. The merchant server 904 renders themerchant website and manages the shopping cart. When the customer 900decides to buy a product, the customer selects the product and proceedsto a checkout step 1006. In the checkout step, the customer 900 selects1008 the checkout button to purchase the product. The merchant websitecalls directly or uses the merchant server 904 to call 1010 the checkoutserver 600, and passes the information about the product, transactionamount, etc. The merchant server receives 1012 a checkout token 1014from the checkout server 600.

The application 506 receives 1016 the checkout token 1014 and themerchant website redirects 1018 to the checkout application 502 with acustom URL and the checkout token as a parameter. In the checkoutapplication 502, the customer 900 authenticates 1020 himself/herselfwith the checkout server 600. Once authenticated, the customer 900confirms the transaction with the checkout server 600, and the checkoutapplication 502 calls 1022 the checkout server 600 or website API 602 tocomplete the transaction identified by the checkout token. The checkoutserver 600 forwards 1024 the transaction to a payment processor 926. Thepayment processor 926 returns 1028 the transaction results to thecheckout application 502 via the checkout server 600, illustrated as1030.

After completion of the transaction, the checkout application 502redirects 1032 back to the browser application 506 with the checkouttoken and transaction results as parameters, which displays a resultpage 1034. The merchant website obtains or receives the transactionresults by one or more possible paths, including: (A) the merchantwebsite receives the transaction results from the redirection URLparameters; the merchant website updates 1036 the transaction statuswith the merchant server where (B) the checkout server 600 pushes 1038the results to the merchant server or (C) the merchant server pulls 1040the latest transaction status or results from the checkout server 600through the APIs 602.

In an aspect, FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary operation flow oflaunching the checkout application from a shopping webpage in a desktopbrowser running on a computer by push notification or short messageservice (SMS). In this example, the user or customer 900 is browsing onan online shopping merchant website using a desktop browser 1102 on acomputing device 1100, such as a computer. The customer 900 launches themerchant's website, such as an opera ticket website, using the browser1102. The customer 900 uses the browser to browse and add items to ashopping cart for checkout and purchase. In this example, the merchantwebsite communicates 1104 with the merchant server 904 to obtain updatedinformation of the products, such as, the opera show title, show time,and price. The merchant server 904 renders the merchant website andmanages the shopping cart. When the customer 900 decides to buy aproduct, the customer selects the product and proceeds to a checkoutstep 1106. In the checkout step, the customer 900 selects 1108 thecheckout button to purchase the product. The merchant website callsdirectly or uses the merchant server 904 to call 1110 the checkoutserver 600, and passes the information about the product, transactionamount, URLs, etc. The merchant server receives 1112 a checkout token1114 from the checkout server 600.

The user may be prompted for the credentials to authenticate the user onthe web browser. The merchant website calls the checkout server 600 toauthenticate the user. After user authentication, the checkout servermay look up the user's mobile communication device 500 phone number ordevice identifier and send 1116 a push notification or SMS to the user'sregistered mobile communication device 500 with the checkout token. Uponreceiving the notification, the checkout application 502 is launched. Inthe checkout application 502, the customer 900 authenticates 1120himself/herself with the checkout server 600. Once authenticated, thecustomer 900 confirms the transaction with the checkout server 600, andthe checkout application 502 calls 1122 the checkout server 600 orwebsite API 602 to complete the transaction identified by the checkouttoken. The checkout server 600 forwards 1124 the transaction to apayment processor 926. The payment processor 926 returns 1128 thetransaction results to the checkout application 502 via the checkoutserver 600, illustrated as 1130. The merchant website updates 1136 thetransaction status, for example, by polling, and the desktop browserdisplays a result page 1134. The merchant website obtains or receivesthe transaction results by two possible paths: (A) the checkout server600 pushes 1138 the results to the merchant server or (B) the merchantserver pulls 1140 the latest transaction status or results from thecheckout server 600 through the APIs 602.

In an aspect, FIG. 11 also illustrates an exemplary operation flow oflaunching the checkout application from a shopping webpage in a desktopbrowser running on a computer by QR code scanning. In this example, theuser or customer 900 is browsing on an online shopping merchant websiteusing a desktop browser 1102 on a computing device 1100, such as acomputer. The customer 900 launches the merchant's website, such as anopera ticket website, using the browser 1102. The customer 900 uses thebrowser to browse and add items to a shopping cart for checkout andpurchase. In this example, the merchant website communicates 1104 withthe merchant server 904 to obtain updated information of the products,such as, the opera show title, show time, and price. The merchant server904 renders the merchant website and manages the shopping cart. When thecustomer 900 decides to buy a product, the customer selects the productand proceeds to a checkout step 1106. In the checkout step, the customer900 selects 1108 the checkout button to purchase the product. Themerchant website calls directly or uses the merchant server 904 to call1110 the checkout server 600, and passes the information about theproduct, transaction amount, URLs, etc. The merchant server receives1112 a checkout token 1114 from the checkout server 600.

In this example, the merchant website or merchant server calls 1118 thecheckout server 600 through the APIs 602 to obtain a QR code 1142representation of the checkout token. The user launches the checkoutapplication 502 on the mobile communication device 500 and scans 1144the QR code 1142. Once the checkout application 502 is launched, theprocess proceeds as described above with reference to FIG. 11.

Although the methods and algorithms described above including those withreference to the foregoing flow charts and FIGS. have been describedseparately, it should be understood that any two or more of the methodsdisclosed herein can be combined in any combination. Any of the methods,algorithms, implementations, or procedures described herein can includemachine-readable instructions for execution by: (A) a processor, (B) acontroller, and/or (C) any other suitable processing device. Anyalgorithm, software, or method disclosed herein can be embodied insoftware stored on a non-transitory tangible medium such as, forexample, a flash memory, a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, adigital versatile disk DVD, or other memory devices, but persons ofordinary skill in the art should readily appreciate that the entirealgorithm and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executed by adevice other than a controller and/or embodied in firmware or dedicatedhardware in a well known manner e.g., it may be implemented by anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logicdevice (PLD), a field programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic,etc. Further, although specific methods and algorithms are describedwith reference to flowcharts depicted herein, persons of ordinary skillin the art should readily appreciate that many other methods ofimplementing the example machine readable instructions may alternativelybe used. For example, the order of execution of the steps may bechanged, and/or some of the steps described may be changed, eliminated,or combined.

It should be noted that the methods and algorithms illustrated anddiscussed herein may have various modules which perform particularfunctions and interact with one another. It should be understood thatthese modules are merely segregated based on their function for the sakeof description and represent computer hardware and/or executablesoftware code which is stored on a computer-readable medium forexecution on appropriate computing hardware. The various functions ofthe different modules and units can be combined or segregated ashardware and/or software stored on a non-transitory computer-readablemedium as above as modules in any manner, and can be used separately orin combination.

The mobile communication device may be a laptop computer, a cellularphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, and othermobile devices of the type. Communications between components and/ordevices in the systems and methods disclosed herein may beunidirectional or bidirectional electronic communication through a wiredor wireless configuration or network. For example, one component ordevice may be wired or networked wirelessly directly or indirectly,through a third party intermediary, over the Internet, or otherwise withanother component or device to enable communication between thecomponents or devices. Examples of wireless communications include, butare not limited to, radio frequency (RF), infrared, Bluetooth, wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) (such as WiFi), or wireless network radio,such as a radio capable of communication with a wireless communicationnetwork such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3Gnetwork, 4G network, and other communication networks of the type.

Although the devices, systems, and methods have been described andillustrated in connection with certain embodiments, many variations andmodifications will be evident to those skilled in the art and may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thediscourse is thus not to be limited to the precise details ofmethodology or construction set forth above as such variations andmodification are intended to be included within the scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A checkout system implemented on a mobilecommunication device including a merchant application or browserapplication available on the mobile communication device and adapted toallow a user to select items to purchase from a merchant, comprising: acommunication processor in communication with a checkout server hostingone or more web service checkout application program interfaces (APIs)adapted to communicate with the mobile communication device; and acheckout application installed on the mobile communication device andadapted: to be launched in response to receiving informationcorresponding to a purchase transaction; to communicate with thecheckout server and cause the checkout server to complete the purchasetransaction; and to relaunch the merchant application or browserapplication when the transaction is complete.
 2. The checkout system ofclaim 1, wherein the checkout server creates a checkout tokenidentifying the purchase transaction in response to the user initiatingthe purchase transaction.
 3. The checkout system of claim 2, wherein thecheckout server sends the checkout token to the merchant application orbrowser application.
 4. The checkout system of claim 3, wherein thecheckout application receives the checkout token from the merchantapplication or browser application.
 5. The checkout system of claim 4,wherein the checkout application authenticates the user.
 6. The checkoutsystem of claim 5, wherein the checkout application confirms thepurchase transaction with the checkout server in response to the userauthentication.
 7. The checkout system of claim 6, wherein the checkoutapplication sends the checkout token and results of the purchasetransaction to the merchant application or browser application duringthe relaunch of the merchant application or browser application.
 8. Thecheckout system of claim 7, wherein the merchant application or browserapplication displays a results page corresponding to the purchasetransaction in response to being relaunched.
 9. The checkout system ofclaim 1, wherein the checkout server completes the purchase transactionby communicating the transaction to a payment processor.
 10. Thecheckout system of claim 1, wherein the checkout application is adaptedto receive user payment information from a magnetic stripe transporterin communication with the mobile communication device.
 11. The checkoutsystem of claim 1, wherein the checkout application is adapted to belaunched in response to receiving the information corresponding to thepurchase transaction from the merchant application or browserapplication.
 12. The checkout system of claim 1, wherein the checkoutapplication is adapted to be launched in response to receiving theinformation corresponding to the purchase transaction from the checkoutserver.
 13. The checkout system of claim 1, wherein the checkoutapplication is adapted to be launched in response to receiving theinformation corresponding to the purchase transaction from the checkoutserver through a push notification, email, or short message service. 14.The checkout system of claim 1, wherein the checkout application isadapted to be launched in response to receiving the informationcorresponding to the purchase transaction from a quick response (QR)code displayed on the mobile communication device.
 15. A method,comprising: allowing a user to browse and select items for purchase froma merchant through a first application or browser; launching a checkoutapplication installed on a mobile communication device in response tothe checkout application receiving information corresponding to apurchase transaction; receiving, by the checkout application, a checkouttoken identifying the purchase transaction created by a checkout server;communicating, by the checkout application, with the checkout server tocause the checkout server to complete the purchase transaction; andrelaunching the first application or browser in response to completionof the transaction.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving ofthe checkout token includes receiving the checkout token from the firstapplication or browser application.
 17. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising authenticating, by the checkout application, the user priorto the communicating with the checkout server.
 18. The method of claim15, further comprising receiving, by the checkout application, userpayment information from a magnetic stripe transporter in communicationwith the mobile communication device.
 19. The method of claim 15,wherein the launching of the checkout application includes launching thecheckout application in response to receiving the informationcorresponding to the purchase transaction from the checkout serverthrough a push notification, email, or short message service.
 20. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the launching of the checkout applicationincludes launching the checkout application in response to receiving theinformation corresponding to the purchase transaction from a quickresponse (QR) code displayed on the mobile communication device.